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Half-a-million-year-old Feeding Ground for Homo Erectus Found Near Tel Aviv

Archaeologists from Israel have announced the discovery of hundreds of hand-axes, most likely used by prehistoric humans from five hundred thousand years ago at Jaljulia, north-east of Tel Aviv.

Prehistoric “Paradise" for Hunter-Gatherers Unearthed

For their good luck, archaeologists noted, that the prehistoric hunter-gatherers that occupied the site, left behind evidence of hundreds of knapped flint hand-axes, as The Guardian reports. The hundreds of flint hand-axes were unearthed during a dig just next to Route 6, one of Israel's busiest highways, the Israel Antiquities Authority stated.

The team of researchers revealed more details about the discovery, such as that the spot the axes were found was at a five-meter depth at Jaljulia, near the town of Kfar Saba. The finds indicate that a long-lost species of early human (homo erectus) seemed to be returning to the site frequently, most likely motivated by a water source, leaving behind evidence of their primordial stone tools. Interestingly, experts describe the site at Jaljulia as a prehistoric “paradise" for hunter-gatherers, with a stream, vegetation and an abundance of animals.

“Coming to work in Jaljulia, nobody expected to find evidence of such an ancient site, let alone one so extensive and with such impressive finds,” a surprised with the finds Maayan Shemer of the Israel Antiquities Authority stated as The Guardian reports.

The Jaljulia excavation site next to Route 6 and a stream. (IAA YouTube Screenshot)

The Site’s Rich Archaeological Treasures of Acheulean Culture

Without a doubt, the most impressive find so far in the area, is evidence of a highly-developed lithic industry that produced a great amount of stone tools, including hundreds of flint hand-axes characteristic of the ancient Acheulean culture that existed in the Lower Paleolithic era from about 1.5 million to 200,000 years ago. “There are only two sites [in Israel] whose estimated age is close to Jaljulia in the Sharon, or central Israel: one in Kibbutz Eyal, approximately 5km to the north, and the other, dated to a slightly later cultural phase, at Qesem Cave located approximately 5km to the south,” Shemer said via The Guardian.

According to the Museum of Anthropology, the Acheulean tradition constituted a veritable revolution in stone-age technology. Acheulean stone tools - named after the site of St. Acheul on the Somme River in France where artifacts from this tradition were first discovered in 1847 - have been found over an immense area of the Old World. Reports of hand-axe discoveries span an area extending from southern Africa to northern Europe and from Western Europe to the Indian sub-continent.

A selection of the various styles of hand axes that have been found. (Tel Aviv University)

Acheulean stone tools are the products of Homo erectus, a close ancestor to modern humans. Not only are the Acheulean tools found over the largest area, but it is also the longest-running industry, lasting for over a million years. The earliest known Acheulean artifacts from Africa have been dated to 1.6 million years ago. The oldest Acheulean sites in India are only slightly younger than those in Africa. In Europe, the earliest Acheulean tools appear just after 800,000 years ago, as H. erectus moved north out of Africa.

Prehistoric Humans may have Possessed a Geographic Memory

Back to Israel and the most recent discovery, archaeologists have concluded that prehistoric humans probably possessed a geographic memory (just like modern humans), due to the fact that they kept occupying the site frequently, which also indicates that they kept returning there as part of a seasonal cycle.

“The findings are amazing, both in their preservation state and in their implications about our understanding of this ancient material culture. There is no doubt that researching these finds in-depth will contribute greatly to the understanding of the lifestyle and human behaviour during the period” Shemer stated as BBC News reported.

Ultimately Ran Barkai, head of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, added that the site had been "amazingly preserved" and agreed with Shemer that the new finds will reveal a lot of information about their prehistoric ancestors, “This extraordinary site will enable us to trace the behavior of our direct prehistoric ancestors, and reconstruct their lifestyle and behavior on the very long journey of human existence, “he stated according to The Guardian.

The site’s vast area was unearthed recently in a common dig conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in cooperation with the archaeological department in Tel Aviv University.

Theodoros

Theodoros Karasavvas J D -M A has a cum laude degree in Law from the University of Athens a Masters Degree in Legal History from the University of Pisa and a First Certificate in English from Cambridge University When called... Read More

Comments

I personally call BS on EVERY article that states the "age" of things beyond about 5,000 years why is very SIMPLE
the oldest known civilization that was can reasonably infer data from was

Sumer is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq, during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze ages, and arguably the first civilization in the world with Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley. Living along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates
BC 5500-4500.

any other evidence is on theory on top of another on top of another basing their theories on others theories.

many things you simply cannot carbon date (which is basically are supposed best current method of "age dating") the conditions of our earth are anything but static, and even the most advance simulations/computer data hashing etc simply do NOT have all the information on things.

Just because we THINK earth s approx say 2 billions years old, does NOT make it so, the entire galaxy could have been made in the blink of an eye via a pre designed "recipe"

just like a pie fresh out of the oven, one could think that it was baked that afternoon (logical assumption knowing how long it would normally take) or it could have been frozen in the freezer for 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 years if this was possible, or even made instantaneously as soon as one walked into the room (if this was possible)

The fact is, WE DO NOT KNOW, we ASSUME, based on loose scientific study of what we "claim" we know very thoroughly...rings on a tree only tell so much, the layering of strata only can tell so much, just because our modern thinking and experiments lead us to believe in one way does not make it factually correct directly or indirectly.

much of "science" as we like to call it is loosely based on repeatable events or assumed circumstance nothing more.

the "modern world" should stop bloody well trying to convince each other on things such as this..we were not around 6000 years ago (as best as we can tell) bones in the ground or fancy rock outcroppings mean nothing, one can stage anything they want if they know how to "stage the evidence" is it too grandiose an idea to think that all we think we know has not been staged in such a fashion.

just our moon alone is claimed X amount of billions of years old, and yet if you dig into the "science" of it, the facts completely fall apart.

just like most governments it is one lie on top of another to "bury" truth or to try to convince everyone about something they really know jack #$%#$% about ^.^

Ever since humans could look up to see the sky, we have been amazed by its beauty and untold mysteries. Naturally then, astronomy is often described as the oldest of the sciences, inspiring people for thousands of years.

What you are about to discover is essentially a lost crusader’s artifact left by the Knights Hospitaller. I found it hidden in the hills of Kos many years ago and only now have I managed to simplify the observation enough to condense it into an article.

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What you are about to discover is essentially a lost crusader’s artifact left by the Knights Hospitaller. I found it hidden in the hills of Kos many years ago and only now have I managed to simplify the observation enough to condense it into an article.

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